Q: Is there an alternative to SMART goals? It doesn’t really work for me and I end
up giving up on my goals.

A: Set “H.A.R.D.” goals. According to Mark Murphy, author of “Hundred Percenters: Challenge Your Employees to Give It Their All and They’ll Give You Even More,” the best goals are heartfelt, animated, required and difficult. He says you must challenge your employees to “serve something bigger than themselves” in a John F. Kennedy sort of way. H.A.R.D. goals are difficult enough to test everyone’s limits and drive personal achievement as well.

P – Plan – make an if/then plan to name an action you could do if your obstacle occurs.

Q: Is “Measurable” (in SMART goals) the same as staying accountable to a tracker?

A: You need a way to tell if you’re successful or not, which is where the measurable part comes in. The habit tracker is a visual representation of your progress and you can hold yourself accountable with. You can’t hold yourself accountable if you don’t know if you’re successful - so really, measurable and accountability go hand in hand.

Q: I am so curious to know more about the development process of the journal. Is
there a story on that anywhere? I would love to know more about the science
within the journal. It sounds a lot like the field I am in.

A: The story behind the Self Journal can be found on our Kickstarter page.

Q: I am a freelancer and don’t really have a set work schedule. Sometimes people
send me something unexpected or at different times of the day. How can I plan my
day if I don’t know when or if I will be working?

A: There are two parts to this:1. Assess and Prioritize your tasks by importance2. Some Tactics for Tackling Unplanned Work

• Squeeze it in to the current sprint.• Throw it into the backlog.• Carry it in to the next sprint.• One item in, one item out.• Tackle it in a pre-planned buffer• Establish a dedicated team for reactive work.

Q: How do we schedule the “Honey-do’s” that we all have outside of our major
goals?

A: Unplanned time often is wasted time. Earmark time each week on your calendar to tackle some of your honey-do’s. If you plan for that time, you won’t end up letting other tasks take up that time.

You can write down all the miscellaneous tasks you get requested down somewhere on a separate list - you can use a sheet in your Weekly Action Pad specifically for smaller chores throughout the day. During your 5 minute pomodoro breaks, take a look at your list and see if there's anything you can do quickly before your next work session.

It’s like cleaning a room…don’t look at all the mess. Just focus on picking up one thing at a time. Next thing you know, it’s done!

Q: Do you have any tips for refocusing if you get off track?

A:Let go of the missed opportunities. It’s easy to focus on what you missed when you’re off track. Forgive yourself, wipe the slate clean, take a moment to organize your thoughts and schedule. Lastly, just start with one step. You can’t boil the ocean so just focus on the one little thing you can do right now. After a few days of “baby steps” you’ll start to feel your momentum grow.

Q: How do I stop myself from getting distracted on social media sites like
Facebook and Instagram?

A: If you ever get distracted on Facebook, and find yourself scrolling endlessly, try this chrome extension called Newsfeed Eradicator to turn your news feed into a motivational quote.

Q: “My Goal” is supposed to be our 3 goals repeated every day to trigger our
R.A.S. so should we focus on just 1 goal, or can I pick the one that calls to me that
specific day? And are “Today’s Targets”, supposed to be the same concept as the
“My Goal”?

A: The goal is the finish line where today’s targets are the smaller steps the lead towards your goal. The 13-week roadmap that is outlined in the Self Journal helps you identify the steps that lead up to you goal. One day you might be focusing on one “step” and the next day you could be focusing on the next “step”.

Q: What are morning pages?

A: Morning Pages is a journaling practice where you write 3 pages of unfiltered, stream-of-consciousness thoughts in the morning. It's from Julia Cameron's book "The Artist's Way" and it helps overcome creative blocks.

Q: Example of a progress goal for writing a book?

A: Set a daily word count goalSet a time to work on your book every daySet a total word countGive yourself weekly deadlinesGet early feedbackCommit to shipping